What is typical of the Franconian hedge? Hermann Schmitt doesn’t have to think twice: “The tightness, the cosiness, the warmth and the fact that you can quickly get into conversation with other people,” says the managing director of the Franconian Wine Association. In the past, barns, living rooms or sometimes even the bedroom were cleared out in order to entertain guests with their own wine and traditional Franconian food for a limited time. Today, Schmitt estimates, there are still around 180 hedgerows in Franconia. Around half of them work without a restaurant license and are allowed to offer wine and snacks for guests 16 weeks a year.
Hedge taverns belong to Franconia like the Main and the vineyards. Many open their doors in spring and especially in autumn after the grape harvest. As a cultural asset, they are closely linked to the history of the region: “You cannot find the diversity and personal nature of any other German wine-growing region as in the villages on the Main,” wrote Josef Balduin Kittel, Würzburger, over 100 years ago Lawyer and co-founder of the Franconian Viticulture Association, in his “Book of Franconian Wine”.
What is special about Franconia’s hedgerows
But what is special about the hedgerows? “In the past, the vintners cleared out their living room in order to set up tables and benches for guests there for a certain period of time,” says Hermann Schmitt. This is still done today at the Bauer Heckenwirtschaft in Remlingen near Würzburg. The Bauers work without a license: they are allowed to serve the wine they produce themselves for four months or a total of 16 weeks a year, and a maximum of 40 seats are allowed. According to the Catering Act, simple cold or warm dishes can be served in hedge taverns without a license.
In the summer, the furniture was moved to one side for three weeks, says the 86-year-old senior boss Greta Bauer: “The whole family then helps together.”
How long have there been hedgerows in Franconia?
The oldest evidence of viticulture in Franconia comes from the 8th century. According to the German Wine Institute, Charlemagne had the cultivation of the vines, winemaking and the subsequent sale regulated. Hermann Schmitt therefore suspects that the first hedge taverns were already established in Franconia at this time. In the High Middle Ages, viticulture experienced an enormous boom, and by the 15th century at the latest, wine sales were officially regulated in rural regions. Every village or town lord demanded a so-called change, a kind of drink tax. It was forbidden to serve beer and wine without the sale – and so it was often served in secret, “behind the hedge”.
Where the name Heckenwirtschaft comes from
The name “Heckenwirtschaft” has another meaning: In the Rhineland one speaks of ostrich farming, in Baden-Württemberg it is called besenwirtschaft, in Austria it is called buschenwirtschaft – but what is meant is the same: a seasonally or daily open restaurant in which winemakers run their own business directly market the wine produced. A branch, broom or wreath over the door has always been a sign of an open hedge bar. In Wiesenbronn (district of Kitzingen), a spruce tree on a pole once served as a mark, says folklorist Reinhard Hüßner. The director of the Kirchenburg Museum in Mönchsondheim (district of Kitzingen) has repeatedly dealt with the history of the hedge taverns and also refers, for example, to the Volkacher Salbuch from 1504, in which a tavern with little trees is depicted above the door.
What is on the table in the hedge economy
Originally there was only wine, says Herrmann Schmitt. Later a cold snack, dressed cheese, homemade sausage or sausages were served with it. Each company had its specialty. In Remlingen, Greta Bauer traditionally serves “Schnickerli”, the rumen of calves or cattle cooked in red wine and cut into strips. Like tripe once a typical poor people’s meal, “now a culinary specialty,” says Schmitt. The rumen is seasoned with curry, thyme and allspice and then cooked for at least an hour and a half.
In the 1990s, the Schnickerli was too expensive for a food inspector – that is, not “easy” enough – says Greta Bauer. When she was supposed to take the dish off the menu, the winemaker protested with the signatures of the guests and a petition in the state parliament. Successfully.
Who visits the hedge economy
Hedges have always been a meeting point for all generations. “You meet people there of all ages and from all origins,” says Bernd Küffner from the Franconian Viticulture Association. And refers to Leinach in the Würzburg district: When the last hedge bar closed there in 2009, the volunteer fire brigade and its young people have taken over the tradition. Under the name “Wine Week”, wines from the area are now served once a year in the old fire station in Oberleinach.
“You sit down even if you don’t know each other,” says winemaker Monika Bauer, describing the typical atmosphere of a hedge economy. “Young and old find each other so quickly and start talking,” says Bauer, who runs the “Weinträume” hedge management in Thüngersheim (district of Würzburg). Of course, this was hardly possible for a year and a half due to the corona pandemic.
What makes the atmosphere in the hedge
“All of the sources” had “independently of one another repeatedly confirmed the great fun in the hedge taverns”, says folklorist Reinhard Hüßner. The baroque barn in Volkach (Kitzingen district) is currently showing the special exhibition “Back then on the Mainschleife – inns in Volkach” – the hedge taverns play a major role here. Because small dishes such as cheese, sausage and herrings were also offered there in addition to the pint, it happened that when the mood was good, “herring bones landed on the ceiling”. The audience came almost exclusively from Volkach itself. Even if there was wine stored in the cellar at home, people liked to meet in good company, says Hüßner: “Either because of that or because of the already mentioned great fun.”
Where there are particularly many hedges
Hedge taverns extend from Ramsthal (district of Bad Kissingen) in the north to Ippesheim (district of Neustadt an der Aisch) in Middle Franconia. In Nordheim (district of Kitzingen), Franconia’s largest wine-growing community, the density of hedge is very high. The vaulted cellar from the Keller winery in Ramsthal is described as particularly rustic. “Even the great-great-grandfather cultivated 3.5 acres of vineyards,” says Karin Keller, who also regularly offers tours of the vineyards.
And hedges are particularly widespread in Churfranken. “In Großheubach near Aschaffenburg there are around 60 such wineries with a bar,” says Andreas Göpfert from the Franconian Viticulture Association. The 79-kilometer Franconian red wine hiking trail stretches across Churfranken from Großwallstadt to Bürgstadt. There are numerous hedges along the route. “In each of them, the landlord can tell you over a good drop how it went from the vine to the glass,” says Göpfert. “And often from which sow the black pudding comes from that comes on the table.”
What is the purpose of the hedge
Here on the Lower Main, too, many locals would not buy the wine for home, but would rather drink it directly in the Häckerwirtschaft, says Göpfert. Many small businesses sell a large part of their wine with it.
“The hedge is the shortest route to the consumer,” says Hermann Schmitt. Many young wineries started out this way, and the bar is still the best sales channel, especially for very small businesses. “You can hardly achieve a better profit margin than through direct marketing.” The hedge economy also has advantages for the guest, says Schmitt: “This is how you get to know the wine and the winemaker.”
What a hedge economy can look like
Among the many hedgerows in the region, there are a few particularly noticeable ?? like the Hirn winery in Untereisenheim (district of Würzburg). Winemaker Matthias Hirn is a big fan of Friedensreich Hundertwasser – and a good 20 years ago he sent a building request to the artist and architect’s Vienna office. Hundertwasser liked the idea of designing a winery and started planning in 1998. When he died two years later, his office completed the work in Lower Franconia. “It was a dream come true for me,” says Hirn, who repeatedly offers tours for those interested in architecture at the Hundertwasser winery. And on the menu of the colorful hedge, in addition to the classic snack, there are also wraps, vegan vegetable stir-fries and burgers.
Elsewhere, too, the guest rooms are more than living room economy: In the category “Excellent Architecture – Interior Architecture”, the WeinOase Huppmann in Würzburg-Heidingsfeld has just received the “German Design Award 2020”. The Eibelstädter architects Edmund and Stephan Haas had redesigned the Heckenwirtschaft with vinotheque – by adding an extension to the family’s parents’ house. The jury’s praise: “Due to the characteristic wood paneling, the vaulted ceiling is reminiscent of a classic wine barrel and creates a feeling of openness and generosity.”
Exhibition tip
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